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Clay Workshop Handbook

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Welcome to your workshop! Whether you enjoy throwing, handbuilding, glaze testing, or all of the above, we’ve pulled together tool tips and techniques for you to try out in your studio.

If you’re familiar with Pottery Making Illustrated and Ceramics Monthly, then you already know they’re packed full of practical information, projects, and techniques you can use. The articles in this Clay Workshop Handbook provide a sampling of some of the great content you’ll discover in each issue.

Enjoy your workshop!

Calculating Clay Shrinkage

by Audry Deal-McEver
Have you ever broken the lid to a fully finished teapot and needed to make a replacement? Learn how to use a copy machine to help you make a near perfect replica. 

Designing Function

Drawings by Robin Ouellette
Using these simple shapes, you can create an infinite variety of complex utilitarian forms.

Pasta Blates (bowl + plate)

by Wendy Eggerman
Are you interested in how a well-designed plate can enhance fresh-made-pasta? Try this dish that is occasionally referred to as a “blate” (bowl + plate). 

Bringing Joy to Life with Melissa Maya Pottery

by Maya Rumsey
Working in batches and retaining the marks of making, Maya Rumsey creates functional pottery with surfaces inspired from her childhood.

Efficient and Effective Slab Plates

by Galen Sedberry
Love to make plates but discouraged by the number of steps involved in the throwing and firing process? Try this creative technique, which mixes throwing and handbuilding for better results.

Transferring Images

by Shawna Pincus
Surface design techniques are endless, but often favor application on flat planes or greenware. Here’s a process suitable for bisque-fired pots that yields graphic imagery.  

From Firm to Fantastic

by Anne B. Crabbe
Reclaim blocks of clay that have become too firm to form, with this simple damp-towel wrapping technique.

Silicone-Tipped Tools

by Christina Orthwein
Do you need a flexible tool to smooth and compress seams that are a little too large for conventional rubber-tipped tools? Making your own silicone-tipped tool may be the answer. 

Building a Weathered Surface

by Angelo di Petta
Discover a unique surface decoration technique that creates a layer of color and patterns.

Red Clay Ready

by Ruth Easterbrook, Megs LeVesseur, and Taylor Mezo
Recipes from three working potters accentuate red clay bodies at low- and mid-range temperatures.

Download the free guide right now, and become a better ceramic artist tomorrow. That’s our promise to you from Ceramic Arts Network!

Best regards,

Jennifer Poellot Harnetty
Editor, Ceramic Arts Network

Topics: Making Clay Tools